1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to technology simplifying the management of computers connected with I/O (Input/Output) switch devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, it often occurs that a server device is connected with a plurality of external devices of different types. As examples of external devices, there are network devices and storage devices. These external devices have differing required functions, performance, reliability, cost, and the like. As a result, the protocols for connecting the server device and an external device differ for each external device. Consequently, in order to e.g. connect a server device and a plurality of external devices, there are respectively provided I/O devices processing different protocols between the server device and each external device.
Regarding common server devices in recent years, the associations between server devices and the I/O devices have been fixed, modifications not being possible. As a result, in an environment where a number of server devices are operating such as in corporate computer systems and data centers, there is a need to select the required I/O device for each server device. However, if the associations between server devices and I/O devices are fixed, in case a change in the use, or the like, of a server device arises, there is a need to carry out mounting and demounting of I/O devices, so there is the problem that operational management is made complicated.
As one technology solving this problem, there is the I/O switch (device). An I/O switch is a device located between the server device and the aforementioned I/O devices and by controlling the configuration of the I/O switch, it becomes possible to flexibly modify the I/O devices allocated to the server device. In addition, since an I/O switch can also connect a plurality of server devices, it can make the allocation of I/O devices with respect to a plurality of server devices flexible and can relax the complexity of operational management (refer e.g. to JP-A-2005-301488).